YouTube content to be available on Apple TV

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc. said Wednesday that its Apple TV set-top box will be able to wirelessly stream video content from Google Inc.'s YouTube video-sharing site, beginning in mid-June.

Apple
AAPL, +0.42%
said that a free software download coming next month will allow Apple TV users to stream videos directly from YouTube to their widescreen televisions. Speaking at the fifth-annual D-All Things Digital Conference in Carlsbad, Calif., Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said that the full YouTube catalog will be available on Apple TV in the fall.

Jobs gave a brief demonstration of the Apple TV with YouTube in which he showed a variety of videos from the site, which is owned by Google
GOOG, +0.57%
In addition to using Apple TV in order to watch videos from YouTube, Apple said that Apple TV users will be able to use the device to log in to their personal YouTube accounts and watch and save videos.

Jobs said that he views Apple TV as a "hobby" for the company, but he does think the device has a future alongside Macintosh computers and iPod digital media players, as well as its upcoming iPhone, slated for release in June.

"Our model for Apple TV is a DVD player for the Internet," the chief executive added.

Apple TV works like a set-top box and can wirelessly stream music and photos, as well as TV shows and movies purchased through Apple's iTunes store.

David Moody, Apple's vice president for Mac hardware product marketing, said that unlike content from iTunes, the YouTube content won't be able to be stored on Apple TV's hard drive.

The company also said that Apple TV can now be purchased with an optional 160-gigabyte hard drive, which can hold 200 hours of video, for $399. The original Apple TV, which came out in March and can hold 50 hours of video, costs $299.

Apple shares climbed $4.42, or almost 4%, to close Wednesday at $118.77.

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